unconventional
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unconventional
First recorded in 1830–40; un- 1 + conventional
Explanation
To be unconventional is to act, dress, speak, or otherwise exist out of the bounds of cultural norms. If you eat cheeseburgers for breakfast, that's somewhat unconventional. Anything that's nonconformist or out of the ordinary can be described as unconventional. Every culture has its own conventions — or norms — and what may be unconventional in one region might be typical in another. The perception of what's unconventional is determined by context.
Vocabulary lists containing unconventional
Power Prefix: un-
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unconventional monetary tools were offered and adopted for the betterment of the global financial system.
From Barron's • Mar. 7, 2026
In 2004 she published her memoirs Annabel: An Unconventional Life, where she recalled her aristocratic childhood, glamorous social life in 1960s Swinging London to her role as matriarch and grandmother.
From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025
Unconventional superconductors have a high sensitivity to disorder, and introducing defects changes or suppresses the critical temperature.
From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2024
Unconventional George Emerson, a fellow Englishman about her age and her equal in glowing handsomeness, has spelled out on his plate an enormous question mark in peas and potatoes.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2023
Unconventional, of course; but when a welcome is conventional out-bush, it is unworthy of the name of welcome.
From We of the Never-Never by Gunn, Jeannie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
